St George’s day

Today is April 23rd - St George’s day - the patron saint of England! So how appropriate to talk about Tie Ten, the St George by Duffer tie.

I keep an eye on eBay for any screen accurate Tennant ties almost as a matter of habit. It’s a lonely quest and often fruitless.

There are two divisions of ties: the cheap and plentiful (such as the Thomas Nash, Daniel Hechter and St George by Duffer) which retailed for £15 to £20; and the more expensive and exclusive (such as Christian Lacroix, Giorgio Armani and Nina Ricci) which retailed for £60 plus.

The problem is the cheaper ties, although many more were made, they are seen as cheap and cheerful so not worth anything. They tend to end up in the bin or given to a charity shop.

The more expensive ties tend to be retained due to their price, but if they are unwanted have a chance of appearing on eBay.

This week saw two Tenth Doctor ties, one from each group (though one was a colourway variation) up for sale on eBay.

ST GEORGE BY DUFFER TIE

So far I’ve reported on a good half dozen of this ties over the past couple of years. When they do come up they often have a low start price, but once a couple of Tennant fans spot them they soon rocket in value. This one selling for over £70

GIORGIO ARMANI TIE

I’ve seen this Giorgio Armani tie once before, and have this colourway myself.

It is totally identical in weave to the brown and blue version worn by the Tenth Doctor, but this one is in shades of grey. it is just like a black and white photograph!

The Australian seller of this tie was out for a quick sale, and it sold for a meagre AU$20!

A bargain if ever I saw one - real pity it wasn’t in the right colour :(